Shadows
by x.Delta.x
Summary: One day Hawkkit of ThunderClan begins to see her father's face everywhere she turns, watching her, perhaps guiding her. But to what future? Who is her father? And where is he now? Hawkkit must find out these things, no matter how far she must go.
1. Summary

Hawkkit is a normal ThunderClan kit, despite the fact that she's about a third of the size of what she's suppose to be, her claws are sharper than a warrior's claws, and she is feared and mocked by all the kits in the nursery because of her lineage. Hawkkit begins to see her father's face everywhere she turns, watching her, perhaps guiding her. But to what future? She must find her father, where ever he is, dead or alive.


	2. Prologue

It was a cold leafbare morning, and there were painful cries coming the nursery. A small dark ginger she-cat goes to look inside when a ginger tom with a flame colored pelt walks beside her.

"Squirrelpaw," he said.

"Yes?"

"Let them have peace, kitting is hard enough."

Then a long-haired gray tom padded up to them. "Any news, Firestar?"

"None, Graystripe," Firestar told him.

Then, a dark gray she-cat walked out from inside the den. "Oh, good. You're here. I need some water for Goldenflower." She told them.

"I'll get it!" Squirrelpaw said, eager to help.

"Is everything all right, Cinderpelt?" Graystripe asked the she-cat.

"No... But it's not your kit. There's no need for you to be fretting over anything," Cinderpelt told Graystripe.

"Right, it's not my kit. It's no one's kit," Graystripe replied under his breath.

"It's Goldenflower's kit!" Cinderpelt said to Graystripe, angrily.

"Darkstripe would've loved to raise his kits to take over the Clans," Graystripe added sarcastically.

"Graystripe, could you please make the patrols?" Firestar asked his deputy.

Graystripe nodded, looked at Cinderheart, and stalked away.

"So, is everything all right?" Firestar asked Cinderheart.

"Sorry, Firestar, but I can't chat. You'll hear the news in a little while," Cinderheart told the leader and quickly headed off into the den.

Squirrelpaw pounced up with a ball of moss soaked in water. "Where do I put this?" She asked, looking up at Firestar.

"Just set it outside," Firestar said, waking away toward his den.

Squirrelpaw set the moss down outside the nersery when all became quiet. "Firestar!" She yelled over her shoulder to the leader. He turned around and noticed the eerie silence and walked back to the nursery. Then Cinderheart came from inside the den followed by a small light brown tabby she-cat.

"Leafpaw!" Squirrelpaw said exitedly, her tail straight up in the air.

"How is everything?" Firestar asked Cinderheart, now regaining the apprentice's attention.

"Goldenflower is alive," Cinderheart told Firestar. "Along with one kit."

"One?" Squirrelpaw asked Cinderheart.

"One is better than none," a pale ginger she-cat said as she padded up. She went and stood next to Firestar. "There was only you and Leafpaw when I kitted you," she added to Squirrelpaw.

"The kit is so small!" Leafpaw blurted out.

"You can come see her if you want," Cinderheart told Firestar, Sandstorm, and Squirrelpaw.

"Yes, please!" Squirrelpaw said, jumping up and down in excitement.

Cinderheart went back in the den, followed by Leafpaw, Squirrelpaw, Sandstorm, and Firestar.

The den was small, but it was big enough. In the back corner laid a pale ginger she-cat. She was huddlearound a small black and white she-kit.

"Aw!" Squirrelpaw said, trying to be as quiet as possible. "What's her name?"

"Her name is Hawkkit," the she-cat told the curious apprentice.

"She's wonderful, Goldenflower," Sandstorm said.

"Yes, but I'm afraid this'll be my last kit," Goldenflower said, looking at Firestar. He nodded back as if he understood what she meant.

Then they all left Goldenflower and Hawkkit in their peace and quiet.


	3. Chapter 1

Not long after Hawkkit's birth ThunderClan was forced to move to Sunningrocks, due to monsters destroying ThunderClan camp. After that, the Clans made their way to the Lake. Hawkkit had been about a moon by the time they reached the Lake. She couldn't take the criticism anymore, she figured to make it stop, she'd have to leave ThunderClan. She thought of moving to ShadowClan, because Lizardstripe had offered to let her stay with her and her kits, but Hawkkit couldn't think of eating frogs. She didn't even think about RiverClan, because Hawkkit hated water. WindClan was her only option. Ashfoot, the deputy of WindClan, offered Hawkkit to come and stay with her. Goldenflower knew this was the right decision for her kit, she couldn't take care of Hawkkit any long. She was getting too old. So, Hawkkit spent one last night with her birth Clan. The next morning, Hawkkit set off with the rest of the WindClan cat to their new home.

So, Hawkkit was not exactly excepted in WindClan right away either. But, overtime she knew she could gain their trust. Hawkkit considered Crowfeather to be her older brother. And Breezepelt was like a brother to her as well. She loved them both. Sedgekit was a good friend, and so was Kestrelkit. But Thislekit and Hawkkit never got along. You could say they hated each other. But the thing Hawkkit loved the most was stories. She would go to the elders everyday and ask them to tell her a story. Morningflower, a WindClan elder, usually told the stories, with Rushtail groaning in the background. By the time Hawkkit was three moons old, Tallstar allowed her to start taking care of the elders. She would check them for ticks, then if they had any she'd get rid of them, then change their bedding, then fetch food for them, then they would tell her a story.

When Hawkkit received her apprentice name, Hawkpaw, she was happier than she ever thought she'd be. She would hurry up and get her apprentice chores done so she could listen to more stories. She was the fasted cat since Windstar, and she was great at battle practices. But one night, Hawkpaw had a dream. She was in a very dark forest. It was silent and nothing moved. Not even the wind. She kept walking until she reached a clearing, and sitting in the center of the clearing was a large dark brown male tabby tom with amber eyes. He was just sitting there with his tail curled neatly around his paws.

"Welcome," he said. His voice was deep, and oddly frightening.

"Hello..." Hawkpaw said, hesitantly. Hawkpaw was sure she had seen this cat before.

"I am Tigerstar," he said.

"Get away from me!" Hawkpaw squeaked, backing away from Tigerstar. "I know what you've done!"

"I have not done anything," Tigerstar lied. "It's the other cats who have cast me out!"

"No! I've heard stories!" Hakwpaw yelled back at Tigerstar, slowly backing away from him.

"Hawkpaw-"

"How do you know my name?" Hawkpaw asked Tigerstar, interrupting him.

"I know you father, Hawkpaw," Tigerstar said.

Hawkpaw just looked at him, trying to figure out if he was lying or not.

"Or at least, I knew him," Tigerstar added. "He was a good friend."

"Where is my father?" Hawkpaw asked Tigerstar, still unsure of him.

"He's dead. He's here, in the Dark Forest," Tigerstar said.

Hawkpaw looked around. She was in the Dark Forest. The place where dead cats go when StarClan won't let them in. There is no prey, no sounds, no wind, no other cats. Dark Forest cats walk completely alone.

There was a familiar voice calling her, "Hawkpaw, Hawkpaw". It was Weaselfur, Hawkpaw's mentor. Hawkpaw woke up. "Hawkpaw, come on. We're training today."


	4. Chapter 2

So, time went on. When Hawkpaw was about seven moons old, she learned how to do something that would benefit her Clan more than anything...

Hawkpaw woke up, the sun was bright, she could smell greenleaf in full bloom.

Weaselfur walked up to her and said "Hawkpaw, we're going hunting today with Breezepelt and Crowfeather."

Hawkpaw and Weaselfur went to the edge of camp, where Breezepelt and Crowfeather were standing, looking like they were about to kill each other.

"Hi!" Hawkpaw said to them.

"Are we going?" Breezepelt asked, obviously agrevated about something.

"Let's go," Crowfeather said, heading out of camp followed by Weaselfur and Hawkpaw and Breezepelt last.

Now, Hawkpaw was about the only one who could get Breezepelt and Crowfeather to smile, but not when they were together.

"Where should we go to hunt?" Crowfeather asked, looking at the others.

"Follow me," Weaselfur said to the others as he walked off in one direction.

"Alrighty," Crowfeather said, following him. Followed by Hawkpaw and Breezepelt.

The four WindClan cats walked for a little while until they were in the heart of WindClan territory. Crowfeather went in one direction, and Breezepelt in the other to hunt. There was a lot of wind that day, and not much noise. Now, they all know why. There was a screatching noise from above, and Hawkpaw was the first to notice it. She looked up to see a huge bird! It was a hawk!

"Weaselfur!" Hawkpaw yelled to her mentor, making him look at her in shock. Hawkpaw looked up at the hawk, and so did Weaselfur just as Crowfeather and Breezepelt came at the sound of Hawkpaw's scream, only to look at them and follow their gaze right to the hawk.

"Hide!" Weaselfur yelled, as he ran off into a small fox den. Crowfeather ran off somewhere, probably looking for a bush to hide in. Hawkpaw and Breezepelt found a large bush that they both hid in. But just in front of them was a mouse that was messing around with some kind of seed. It had obviously not noticed the hawk yet.

"Breezepelt, I have a brilliant idea!" Hawkpaw whispered to Breezepelt.

"Now? Can't it wait?"

"No, it can't," Hawkpaw said, then went to whisper in Breezepelt's ear. "Listen, the tribe cats hunt hawks and eagles. Why can't we? They first let it go for the mouse, and then the tribe cats would pounce on it from above."

"You're insane, Hawkpaw," Breezepelt told her, stepping a step away from her.

"Maybe I am, but I'm trying this," Hawkpaw said. "With, or without you."

"Ugh, fine. What do you want me to do?"

"Just jump on it and hold it down for me, I'll do the rest."

So Hawkpaw and Crowfeather bunched up their legs, and got ready to pounce. Then, the hawk spotted the mouse that was still messing around with its seed. The hawk swooped down, grabed the mouse in its claws, then Hawkpaw yelled "Now!" and with that, Breezepelt jumped on the hawk's back to try and hold it down and Hawkpaw jumped on its neck, attempting to break its neck. After a few seconds of wrestling around with the hawk, Hawkpaw finally got a good grip on its neck and neatly snapped its neck. Hawkpaw and Breezepelt had killed the hawk, and then collapsed in sure exhaustion.

"It worked!" Hawkpaw yelled in victory, and complete disbelief.

"What? You mean you didn't think it was gonna work?" Breezepelt asked Hawkpaw, panting hard.

"Well, I had my doubts, of course. But it worked!" Hawpaw yelled victoriously, and obviously excited.

"Hawkpaw? Breezepelt?" two voices yelled from the other side of the bush.

"Over here!" Hawkpaw yelled from where her and Breezepelt had collapsed by their incredible kill. Hawkpaw left Breezepelt, still panting hard and went around the bush to where Crowfeather and Weaselfur were looking for them. "You have to come see this!" She said as she ran back around the bush. Crowfeather and Weaselfur looked at each questioningly, Weaselfur shrugged, then they both followed Hawkpaw.

As they got in view of the hawk, Breezepelt stood up, and Hawkpaw went to stand on the hawk. "What ya think?" She said to them.

"What the..." Crowfeather said in disbelief.

"How did you do this?" Weaselfur asked them.

"We broke its neck of course!" Hawkpaw said.

"Why in the world would you do something this mouse-brained?" Weaselfur yelled at Hawkpaw. "Ashfoot would have my head if you got hurt doing something like this!"

Hawkpaw drooped her head and said "sorry. I just..."

"Well? Why would you do something like this?" Weaselfur asked Hawkpaw as if he was interrogating her, still furious. There is one thing you must know about Hawkpaw. She never belongs anywhere. She didn't belong in ThunderClan, because of her lineage, and WindClan hadn't quite accepted her either.

"I'm sorry," Hawkpaw said, all excitement gone.

"Well, she wasn't the only one," Breezepelt said, finally stepping in.

"Breezepelt, I know for a fact this wasn't your idea," Weaselfur stated, with Breezepelt's tail flicking furiously.

"Well, what's the big deal?" Breezepelt asked Weaselfur. "We caught a hawk! This is awesome! Don't ya think?"

"I think they deserve to be rewarded, not punished," Crowfeather mumbeled to himself behind Weaselfur, not meaning for anyone else to hear. But, Weaselfur did.

Weaselfur turned behind him where Crowfeather was standing, and said to him "do you? Well, would you like to explain to your mother what Hawkpaw did?"

"Sure, I will," Crowfeather said back.

So the four WindClan cats headed back to camp with Breezepelt and Weaselfur carrying the hawk, Crowfeather in the lead, and Hawkpaw trailing behind the patrol, still disappointed and quite ashamed. As they neared the camp, the cats on guard just looked absolutely shocked at what they had brought back. Then they entered the camp, and with praises from all their Clanmates that were there.

"How'd you do it?" a small kit asked the patrol with its eyes wide open.

A brown short-tailed tom came from the Medicine Cat den and asked the patrol "did anyone get hurt?"

"No one got hurt, Barkface," Crowfeather told the WindClan medicine cat.

Then, a brown tabby tom came from the crowd of cats followed by a gray she-cat. "What is this?" he asked the patrol, more mystified than angry.

The patrol paused for a minute, then Crowfeather looked at Hawkpaw who was still at the back of the patrol and still had her head and tail dropped. "Well Onestar, Hawkpaw and Breezepelt..." Crowfeather started to say to the brown tabby tom, until he wasn't sure what to say. "They caught the hawk."

Onestar's eyes went wide, along with about the entire Clan, but what caught Hawkpaw's eye was the reaction on Ashfoot's face.

Ashfoot walked up to Hawkpaw and said "Why would you do something this dangerou?" She demanded, furious, not even considering what good could come from the young apprentice's actions.

"Well..." Hawkpaw started, her head and tail still down, then she paused. "I just..." Hawkpaw paused as she heard some apprentices behind everyone that were laughing and one said "figures, it's the ThunderClan kit that does all the stupid and crazy stuff."

"I wanted the Clan to be proud of me," Hawkpaw continued, as she brought her head and tail up.

Ashfoot's gaze lightened, and she seemed as if she understood.

"Well, I think these two did a great service for their Clan," Onestar said. "WindClan now has the ability to catch hawks, just like the Tribes."

Just as things were starting to die down and everyone settled, another patrol came into the camp, and with it was a black she-cat, who stopped as soon as she saw the others with the hawk instead of going up to congratulate them with the rest of the patrol.

"What happened?" She asked.

Breezepelt began to walk toward the black she-cat, then Crowfeather put his tail to stop him and said to him "I'll explain to her." And with that, Crowfeather walked toward the black she-cat and began talking to her.

And so WindClan had peace. They had feasted heavily that night, talked, had fun, and Hawkpaw felt as if she belonged in WindClan for once.


	5. Chapter 3

Hawkpaw woke up, but not in the WindClan camp. No, but she had been here before, and she knew where she was. This was where she had met Tigerstar. She was in the Dark Forest. And, she was panicked. She did not want to meet Tigerstar, or any other cat from the Dark Forest ever again. Then, a low, male cat's voice spoke behind her and said "Hawkpaw?"

Hawkpaw slowly tuned around to see a sleek black-and-gray tabby tom standing a few tail-lengths behind her. He looked very similar to Hawkpaw, and immediately she knew who he was. "Darkstripe?"

"Yes, Hawkpaw," Darkstripe said to her. "I am the evil cat that everyone says you will turn into," he added sarcastically. "I had a friend, who did not follow the Warrior Code; that of which, you have followed in my footsteps."

"What do you mean!" Hawkpaw yelled at him, not letting him finish.

Ignoring his daughter, Darkstripe continued. "I left my Clan; that of which, you have also done," he finished.

Hawkpaw just stood, her and Darkstripe staring at each other. Then, a large dark brown tabby tom entered the clearing, drawing the attention to himself. "Darkstripe," he said to Darkstripe, and nodding his head in greeting.

"Tigerstar, why are you here?" Darkstripe asked him.

"That's not a very good way of introducing me to your daughter, old friend," Tigerstar said to Darkstripe, coming closer to him. "Now is it?"

"Why do you even care?" Hawkpaw said to Tigerstar. "I know what you've done!"

"I have done nothing! As I told you when you were a kit, they threw me out of my home!"

"Why did you even need an introduction?" Hawkpaw asked Tigerstar, obviously forgetting about the whole arguement, since she figured it would not be the best idea to get into an arguement with a dead cat with a bad temper. "We'd met before."

"I just wanted to see if my old friend remembered his manners," Tigerstar said, glancing at Darkstripe, then back at Hawkpaw. "Anyways, I would like to know of your Warrior training. Are you a good Warrior?"

"You don't need to know," Hawkpaw replied coldly.

"I can show you some moves," Tigerstar said to her. "I can make you the best Warrior in all the Clans."

"I can do that on my own!"

"No one can be a good Warrior on their own," Tigerstar told her. "Everyone needs instruction."

"I already have a great mentor! Weaselfur. He's a much better mentor than you ever have, or ever could have been," Hawkpaw argued.

"Fine," Tigerstar said, as if he was about to give up. "Then I'll just have to teach you myself," he said as he lunged at Hawkpaw. Hawkpaw quickly dived for the side, but Tigerstar clawed her side and she began bleeding.

Then, Brambleclaw, the ThunderClan deputy walked into the clearing. "What in StarClan's name is going on here!" ha demanded.

"Just a training lesson," Tigerstar replied to his son cooly.

"Hawkpaw?" Brambleclaw asked the injured apprentice who was laying on the ground on her side bleeding out. As he was about to go and help her, when a dark brown tabby tom with a white underbelly and icy blue eyes launched at him from the bushes at the side of the clearing and pinned him to the ground. "Hawkfrost!"

"Hello brother," Hawkfrost said to Brambleclaw. "Nice to see you again."

"Not really," Brambleclaw said to Hawkfrost, clawing him with his back claws and throwing him off. Hawkfrost then quickly picked himself up and lunged back at Brambleclaw.

Hawkpaw, on the other side of the clearing, was recieiving help from her father. He helped her up and regain her balance. Hawkpaw glanced around the clearing, taking in everything she sees. She then noticed Brambleclaw on the ground, wrestling with Hawkfrost. "Hey!" she yelled at Hawkfrost as she lunged at him and knocked him off of Brambleclaw just enough to let Brambleclaw get a claw on his throat and throw him off.

"What are you doing here!" Brambleclaw yelled at Hawkpaw, infuriated and confused.

"Hey, this wasn't my first chocie of a good night's sleep," Hawkpaw replied to him. "I never wanted to come here!"

Then, Tigerstar moved in and drew all attention to him. "Hawkpaw did not want any Warrior training from me, but I will make sure she gets all her training," he explained.

"What are you-" Brambleclaw began to say, until Tigerstar lunged at him and cut him off. "Hawkpaw! Run!"

Hawkpaw, of course, obeyed the order, and ran as fast she could out of the clearing. She ran for a few moments until she ran into a golden tabby tom with large amber eyes and they both fell backwards on impact.

"Hawkpaw? Hawkpaw of WindClan?" the golden tabby tom asked her.

"Yes, and you're Lionblaze from ThunderClan?" Hawkpaw asked him.

"Yeah... What are you doing here?" Lionblaze asked Hawkpaw.

"Um, long story," Hawkpaw said as the bushes behind her began to swish. "But I think that can wait. Follow me!" she ordered him, but it was too late. Hawkfrost emerged from the bushes and lunged toward Hawkpaw, but Lionblaze blocked him and rolled him over.

"Hawkpaw! Find a way out! Go!" he ordered her.

Hawkpaw went and ran up a tree, unusual for a WindClan cat yes, but Hawkpaw is ThunderClan at heart. She stayed there for a moment, looking down at Brambleclaw and Tigerstar wrestling on the ground below her. Then, she woke up under Silverpelt in the WindClan camp. Dawn was just appearing, and the moon was just beginning to vanish along with Silverpelt.


	6. Chapter 4

So the very vivid visits by Tigerstar, Hawkfrost, and Darkstripe continued. Sometimes, actually quite often, would other Clan cats enter the Dark Forest with Hawkpaw. Tawnypelt, of ShadowClan. Lionblaze and Jayfeather, of ThunderClan. Brambleclaw, of ThunderClan. Crowfeather and Breezepelt of WindClan. Often they would just visit once, and believe it to be just a vivid dream, but there were those, like Hawkpaw, who were there only once. But, Hawkpaw moved on. She soon became the fastest Clan cat since Windstar, one of the best fighters, she could even match Lionblaze, paw for paw, for they had both been trained by Tigerstar and his collegues. No one could say that Hawkpaw did not belong in WindClan any longer. Although at times, the ThunderClan cats would get angry, and say that only a Thunderclan cat could be so good at being a WindClan cat. But Hawkpaw ignored everyone and their snickering. When she was an apprentice, Hawkpaw had been attacked by a hawk and broken some of her ribs. But thanks to the WindClan medicine cat Barkface, and Hawkpaw's good friend Kestrelflight she became a Warrior in no time. Hawkpaw soon received her Warrior name, Hawktalon, for was her mother's wish that that'd be her Warrior name. She was named after her razor sharp claws she had always had since birth. Hawktalon never thought she'd be so happy, that she didn't need anything else. She could match all the best Warriors, claw for claw, no matter the age, dead or alive. Hawktalon thought she had it all, but she was wrong. There was one thing missing in her life.

It was just after beaver charade, and the Clan was weak. Hawktalon often preferred to hunt alone. But one day, she scented a strange smell. It was definetely cat, but it wasn't any Clan cat. It was no kittypet, so it was probably a rogue or loner. Hawktalon figured she had better check it out, so she crept along the bushes, and peeked through them to see a handsom young red tabby tom that was hunting a mouse on WindClan territory. He had to be no older or younger than her. He had a great resemblance to Firestar, but he wasn't Firestar. No, this cat had no scent of a Clan cat, and he was much to young to be the current ThunderClan leader. Hawktalon crept from the bushes and confronted the young tom and said "do you know you're on WindClan territory?"

The tom was startled by Hawktalon, he had not seen her or heard her. "C-Clan?" he stuttered.

"Yes, you are on WindClan territory," Hawktalon said.

"Um, sorry," he said, backing away toward the border, which was only a few tail-lengths behind him. "I'm Todd," he introduced himself after he crossed the border. "And you are...?"

"I am Hawktalon of WindClan," Hawktalon introduced herself. "And don't let me catch you on WindClan territory again," she said going back to hunting.

"You won't," he called after her.

Hawktalon got back to camp with a plump rabbit and a finch. She was very satisfied with her bounty of fresh-kill. She set it on the fresh-kill pile, but she felt strange. Different than she had before. Todd was a loner, not a Clan cat. There would be no falling in love. None!

"Hawktalon," Ashfoot said behind her. "Nice catch."

"Th-thanks," Hawktalon said, still distracted. And Ashfoot knew it.

"What's the matter?" Ashfoot asked Hawktalon.

"Nothing."

"Why don't we take a walk?" Ashfoot asked Hawktalon.

"I-" Hawktalon began, only to be interrupted as Breezepelt, a young black tom with green eyes ran up to her.

"Hawktalon, we're one cat short on patrol. Would you mind filling in?" Breezepelt asked Hawktalon.

"Sure," Hawktalon said to him. "Sorry," she then said to Ashfoot.

"Nothing to be sorry about," Ashfoot said to Hawktalon as she walked away after Breezepelt and the other patrollers.


	7. Chapter 5

So, whether or not Hawktalon liked it, she fell in love with the young red loner, Todd. Hawktalon asked him if he would like to join WindClan several times, but he said no every time. He said it was not time yet for him to join her in her Clan. So, they would meet, and he would stay on the outter site of Clan territory, and Hawktalon would sit on WindClan territory. They would just talk, and Todd knew everything of the Dark Forest and StarClan. He, along with most other Clan cats, enjoyed it when Hawktalon would tell him stories. Hawktalon asked Todd if he had ever been visited by Tigerstar or Hawkfrost, but Todd always said no, until one day.

Hawktalon was out hunting, when she decided to go and visit her friend Todd. She got to where they had always met, and called out to him until he came out of him den which was a small hole at the bottom of a small beech tree. "Hawktalon!" he yelled in surprise.

"Hello Todd," Hawktalon said as Todd came to the border and stopped.

"I, uh... I have something to tell you," Todd stuttered nervously.

"What is it?" Hawktalon asked Todd with a confused look on her face.

"Tigerstar visited me in my dreams last night."

Hawktalon was infuriated. And for the first time, she noticed the scratch marks on Todd's side.

"He asked me to kill you," Todd told Hawktalon with his head down.

Hawktalon backed away from the border, and Todd. She was sure she could trust Todd, but after Todd talked with Tigerstar, could she really trust him?

"I would never!" Todd quickly said with his head up, and noticing Hawktalon's surprised look. "You should know that."

Hawktalon relaxed. What was she thinking? She knew what she was thinking. She was thinking that she was going to have a little talk with Tigerstar tonight.

The sun had gone down, and Hawktalon was in the WindClan camp getting ready to go to sleep. Then, she laid down under the stars where all other WindClan cats sleep, and quickly drifted off to sleep.

She woke up again in the Dark Forest, and quickly went in search of Tigerstar. Instead, when she looked through a clearing where he usually was, it was her father, Darkstripe just sitting there. Hawktalon emerged from the bushes, and from the bushes behind Darkstripe was Tigerstar, Hawkfrost, and Brokenstar. Hawktalon had only met Brokenstar, the previous ShadowClan leader, a few times in the Dark Forest. He was not the best fighter, but he was ruthless like the rest of them. They all stood behind Darkstripe and Tigerstar said to him "so friend, who's side are you on? You must choose."

Hawktalon was shocked. She never thought that her father would be given the choice of her or his friends. And she knew who he was going to choose. Would Todd be deceived to do the same?

"I am with you, Tigerstar," Darkstripe said, bowing his head. "I am with you to the end."

"Then attack your daughter, Darkstripe," Brokenstar ordered him. "Show us your loyalty."

At first, Darkstripe was hesitant, but Hawktalon was ready. She wouldn't be able to beat a dead cat, but she would be able to hold him off until she woke up. But how long would she have to wait? Darkstripe was about to lunge when Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt emerged from the bushes behind Tigerstar and his followers.

"What the..." Brambleclaw said, trailing off as he saw the hostility in Darkstripe and Hawktalon at each other. Darkstripe had always acted as if he regreted it and that he wished that he had stayed to raise his only daughter. But now, he looked as he wanted to kill her. "What in StarClan's name is going on here?" he finished.

"Darkstripe is about to prove his loyalty to the Dark Forest," Hawkfrost explained as Darkstripe took his chance as Hawktalon was preoccupied. He lunged and knocked her off her feet, jumped on top of her, and tried to bite her neck. But she wouldn't give up. She couldn't give up. She quckly lunged Darkstripe off and stood up panting. When Hawkfrost began to walk forward to then help Darkstripe, Tigerstar held him back and told him "this is Darkstripe's fight".

Hawktalon then noticed Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt begin to shimmer, as they always did before they woke up. Then, they disappeared. She was all alone. Until then, she began to shimmer, then she was safely under the disappearing Silverpelt surrounded by her Clanmates, safe and sound. The sun was rising, and it was beginning to rain. Hawktalon hated water, so she quickly found an old fox den where some of her other Clanmates were taking shelter. She couldn't go to sleep, and she was thankful when an apprentice asked her to tell him and the other apprentices a story.


	8. Chapter 6

The next night when Hawktalon fell asleep, she was sure to talk to Tigerstar about him visiting Todd. She would be sure to end this now. Although he may still visit her, he wouldn't visit her friends. Hawktalon got done her warrior duties, and went to bed early that night. It took a while, but she finally managed to dift off to sleep.

What felt like moments later, she woke up in the Dark Forest. She knew exactly where she was, and so she quickly headed off toward the clearing where she always met Tigerstar and his colleagues. She quickly found the clearing, and emerged from the bushes to find Hawkfrost just looking up, as if he'd expected her to come. But as she entered, he hadn't noticed her.

"Where's you father?" Hawktalon demanded from Hawkfrost.

Hawkfrost brought his gaze to her, and said "I do not know. But you should think about not messing with Tigerstar, Hawktalon."

"And why would you be telling me this?" Hawktalon asked him.

"Just 'cause."

Hawktalon just looked at Hawkfrost. What was he talking about?

"Hawktalon, I suppose you know about Breezepelt," Hawkfrost carried on randomly, obviously daring her to react.

"Yes, I know," Hawktalon responded. "And if you don't leave him alone or I'll-"

"You'll what?" Hawkfrost asked her, cutting her off mid-sentance. "I'm dead. There's nothing you could do to me."

Hawktalon thought for a moment. There was nothing she could do to harm him physically, but perhaps she could make him regret his choice. "Ya konw, Hawkfrost, when I was a kit back in ThunderClan, all I wanted was to be like you."

"What?"

"Yeah, I looked up to you, Hawkfrost. You were a great Warrior, and you could've made it to leader of the Clan, if you'd just been patient," Hawktalon continued as Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt emerged from the bushes, whispering among themselves until they saw Hawktalon and Hawkfrost talking.

"You did not," Hawkfrost said cooly, trying to not to let Hawktalon win this fight.

"Of course I did," Hawktalon said. "Most kits did. You were the only RiverClan I truly l liked. But of course, you have to go an disappoint me!"

"I never cared about that," Hawkfrost said to her, obviously beginning to regret things.

"Yes you did! You always wanted to be someone's hero, someone's role-model. But even more than that, you wanted your father to be proud of you. Am I right?" Hawktalon confronted him, with Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt still off on the side, obviously visible, but Hawkfrost hadn't seen them yet. Hawkfrost gave no answer.

Hawktalon, along with Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt, began to shimmer. Before she knew it, she was under the rising sun coming from the East, and the pale moon still going down in the West. She hadn't gotten to talk to Tigerstar. She will. Soon. But how long would she have to wait? Was he avoiding her?


	9. Chapter 7

But, life went on. One day, Tigerstar, Hawkfrost, and all the other Dark Forest cats stopped visiting Hawktalon in her dreams. They probably figured she was a lost cause, and just gave up. Meanwhile, Todd had come to live with Hawktalon in WindClan, and their three sons, Foxkit, Wolfkit, and Coyotekit. But that, my dear reader, is another story entirely...


End file.
